Author Archives: Christian NewsWire

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is ill-named: it is a gay rights group that often disrespects the human rights of those with whom it disagrees. Its latest burst of intolerance occurred yesterday when it attacked David Tyree, the New York Giants’ hero in the 2007 Super Bowl. HRC president Chad Griffin blasted the Giants for hiring Tyree as its Director of Player Development.

Tyree’s sin? He believes, as does most of the world, that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. He also believes that homosexuals can change their identity; he knows men who have. His sentiments are grounded in his religious convictions. Anyone is free to disagree with him, but to condemn a man for espousing such positions shows contempt for his twin First Amendment rights: freedom of speech and freedom of religion. In short, it is un-American.

The attempt to silence public figures for espousing traditional beliefs on sexuality is gaining momentum in the gay activist community. It must be resisted, especially by people of faith. It would never occur to me, as the president of the Catholic League, to fire off a statement condemning the hiring of an athlete who shared HRC’s views.

Griffin is particularly exercised over Tyree’s belief that sexual orientation can change. But many gays believe the same. After all, when the LGBT community added a “Q”—as in LGBTQ—they did so to include “Questioning.” Now what is there to question if sexual orientation is fixed? Their logic implodes.

COLUMBIA, SC, May 30, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Ray Moore’s first radio ad urges primary voters to send a message to a Republican Party Establishment that he says often “sees conservatives and Christians as a bigger enemy than Democrats.”

“Our culture is decaying and our nation is crumbling. But too often the Republican Party Establishment sees conservatives and Christians as a bigger enemy than Democrats. It’s time to send them a message,” Moore says, opening the ad.

Pointing to one of Moore’s signature issues, education, Moore speaks out on the concerns parents have about Common Core.

“Our public schools have become vehicles of left-wing indoctrination and Common Core threatens to make it worse,” Moore said. “As Lieutenant Governor, I will stand up to the Obama Administration and fight Common Core.”

An announcer makes the case for Moore arguing that a conservative state like South Carolina needs conservative leaders who will fight for conservative values and “stand up for what we believe.”

The sixty-second ad notes Moore’s background as Citadel Graduate, Army Reserve Chaplin, Retired Lieutenant Colonel and Bronze Star Recipient. “Ray Moore stands for Sound Money, Sound Values and a state government that puts taxpayers first,” a nod to Moore’s support for legislation that would allow people to use gold or silver as currency to pay debts.

“Defending our values. Fighting for what is right. Standing up for what we believe,” the announcer closes the ad saying.

Moore is running in the June 10th Republican Primary. The runoff, if necessary, is June 24th. His website is www.voteraymoore.com

So Se Pyong, North Korea’s ambassador said in a debate before the Council in Geneva, “There are in the northeastern area of China so-called churches and priests exclusively engaged in hostile acts against the DPRK. They indoctrinate the illegal border crossers with anti-DPRK ideology and send them back to the DPRK with assignments of subversion, destruction, human trafficking and even terrorist acts.”

Rev. Eric Foley is the CEO of Seoul USA, a US/Korean NGO that operates a number of discipleship bases reaching North Koreans across Asia. Foley says, “The significance of North Korea’s comments cannot be overstated. North Korea is choosing to publicly blame Christian missionaries for its human rights problems and internal difficulties.”

Foley notes that the situation facing North Korean missionaries in Northeast China is tight and getting tighter. But Foley adds that the challenge is not only from North Korea. “Don’t expect China to do nothing,” Foley says. “If North Korea is pointing to missionaries operating in China as a source of potential North Korean instability, and if it is alleging that China is the host, then missionaries can expect an increasing crackdown on churches and discipleship bases reaching North Koreans.”

Foley contends that North Korea’s anti-Christian message is not only directed at China. He says, “From a public perception standpoint, expect that North Korea will more and more seek sympathy and support from the general global public by striking an anti-Christian chord. It may be the most important development regarding Christian ministry to North Korea in the last decade.”

“Some desire to enthrone a rigid secularism as the state religion while suppressing all other views. In contrast, ordered liberty allows free expression for all.” — Mark Tooley, IRD President

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — U.S. Supreme Court justices ruled today that legislative bodies such as city councils can begin their meetings with prayer.

The court ruled 5 to 4 that Christian prayers given before meetings of the town council of Greece, New York did not violate the constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

“We can be grateful that the U.S. Supreme Court in ‘Greece v. Galloway’ upheld freedom of speech and religion by affirming the right of a town council to hear unrestricted prayer by local clergy. Kudos to groups like the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and Becket Fund for their court briefs and advocacy.

“Sadly, the court ruling was narrowly 5-4. And more religious groups should have actively spoken to the issue. Some actually filed briefs against the town council’s allowing unrestricted prayers.

“Some desire to enthrone a rigid secularism as the state religion while suppressing all other views. In contrast, ordered liberty allows free expression for all. Religious freedom remains under attack, and all persons who cherish freedom of speech and religion should prepare for future battles.”

Schenck, who, in 2008, congratulated Palin on the platform in Dayton, Ohio after she was announced as GOP vice-presidential candidate, and who visited in with her in her Alaska home in 2011, writes that he remains an admirer. However, Schenck, who holds degrees in Bible, theology, religion, and Christian ministry, says Palin’s statement constitutes a serious error and is a form of heresy.

Rev. Schenck said about his post, “Governor Palin, as a Christian, made an egregious error that not only violates biblical doctrine, but places the lives of fellow Christians at risk around the world. I’ve sent a private message to her, but I decided to offer a correction publicly because her statement was public and needs to be corrected immediately.”

NEW YORY, May 5, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Bill Donohue (photo) comments on remarks made on May 1 by Secretary of State John Kerry:

Secretary Kerry congratulated the U.S. Embassy staff in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for promoting “a universal message about the rights of people to be free, about democracy, about the ability of people to be able to choose their government and be oppressed when they speak out or say something.” He should have stopped there. Here is what he said next:

“This is a time here in Africa where there are a number of different cross-currents of modernity that are coming together to make things even more challenging. Some people believe that people ought to be able to only do what they say they ought to do, or to believe what they say they ought to believe, or to live by their interpretation of something that was written down a thousand plus, two thousand years ago. That’s not the way I think most people want to live.”

The Ten Commandments are the moral edifice upon which Western civilization was built. It makes absolute prohibitions on a range of issues. Was Kerry aiming his remarks at the Ten Commandments? Or was he taking issue with the teachings of Jesus as found in the New Testament? Or were his remarks targeted at the Koran, the religious text of Islam?

One thing we know for sure: Christians are being beaten, raped, and murdered in many parts of Africa, and the ones who are committing these crimes are invoking Islam as their justification. While there is much dispute about the extent to which these barbarians are distorting, or perfecting, Islam, there should be no ambiguity about who the persecutors are.

CHICAGO, April 23, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Last night, someone vandalized the Divine Mercy display, which was set up in Daley Plaza by private citizens on April 17th. For the past eight years, private citizens have displayed an Easter cross and image of Jesus the Divine Mercy in Daley Plaza, expressing free speech and exercising freedom of religion in the public square. For the previous seven years, the display held its nine-day vigil without incident. This is the first time that someone has defaced the images.

“No display — whether religious, political, or artistic — should be destroyed by those who disagree with the message,” said Attorney Jocelyn Floyd of the Thomas More Society. “It is shameful that the image of Jesus Christ was marred last night, but private citizens should not allow the occurrence of vandalism to discourage them from expressing their faith in the public square.”

“Free speech and expression of faith is protected by the First Amendment.” Ms. Floyd added. “Destruction of others’ speech is not.”

ST PETERSBURG, Fla., April 24, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Rev. Bill Keller, the world’s leading Internet Evangelist and the founder of Liveprayer.com with over 2.4 million subscribers worldwide reading the daily devotional he has written every morning for 15 years on the issues of the day from a biblical worldview, is sharing a special message from the new baby of Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky.

A special message from the child of Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky:

Hello! With so many people making such a big deal about me after only a few weeks since God did something only He can do, giving me life the moment the sperm of my father and the egg of my mother came together, I thought I would share some of my personal thoughts with you about my life so far. First, I want to thank my mother Chelsea for not doing to me what she has advocated for other women do, and killing me! I am NOT a “clump of cells” but a LIFE created by God Himself at the moment of conception with an eternal soul!

My mother was quoted last year as saying her maternal grandmother was the child of unwed teenage parents, who “did not have access to services that are so crucial that Planned Parenthood helps provide.” Of course, those “crucial services” are primarily the slaughtering innocent babies just like me, something that happens to apx. 4,000 precious children every 24 hours in this nation alone.

Her father and mother, my new maternal grandparents have also been staunch advocates for the killing of innocent babies their entire public/political lives. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Hillary have tried to use clever language to distance themselves from the horrors of legalized infanticide that is practiced every day in this nation, but even at my very young age I know this is not an issue you can be on both sides of since there is no such thing as “pro-choice!”

Even someone only alive for a few weeks like myself knows if you really believe in life than you are called pro-life. The only “choice” is to kill your baby or not. So you are either pro-life or you are pro-death! The latest clever language people like my mother Chelsea and her Grandma Hillary like to use to soft-sell the slaughter of innocent babies are “women’s health issues,” “reproductive rights,” “a woman’s right to choose,” or “the war on women.” These are nothing but code phrases for killing babies and the real war is not on women, but on their babies in the womb they want the choice to kill!

In the past week, I watched with my mother the endless news coverage of the bombing by Muslim terrorists at the Boston Marathon last year. Being only a few weeks old, I don’t understand why the same news organizations and politicians who are so somber and distraught over the 3 innocent people killed and the several hundred injured, when they openly promote and advocate for the killing innocent babies like me! In the year since that bombing in Boston, ONE AND A HALF MILLION innocent babies have been slaughtered in this nation, yet nobody says a word about those innocent lives!

Even in these few short weeks of life, I can already see that this is an evil nation. What kind of people who have a heart and conscience could allow innocent babies like me to be murdered when they did nothing wrong? My mother’s favorite TV station is MSNBC which I learned is part of the NBC television network and is owned by the nation’s largest media company, Comcast. I don’t know why she watches this station since they have people on all day long like Rachel Maddow, a man who says he is a Catholic, Chris Matthews, someone who calls himself a “Reverend,” and the rest of their hosts who actually cheerlead for, promote, and support killing innocent babies like me.

As I have watched this station with my mother, they have guests on their various programs who actually run organizations like NARAL, NOW, and Planned Parenthood, who exist for the purpose of helping women to kill their innocent babies! I actually have bad dreams when I sleep that my mother Chelsea will wake up one morning and take me to one of these places I hear about on TV where women go to have a doctor kill their baby. One thing I don’t understand is why men and women who went to school to learn how to make sick people better, would kill innocent babies, some who could live perfectly outside of their mother!

Please pray for me. I trust that the God who gave me life will watch over and protect me. I already know that I will be living in a very evil world, but I hope to grow up and give my life to help stop the slaughter of innocent babies. I don’t know what those babies did to deserve to be put to death, but I know that God who creates life is the only one who has the right to end life. Please also pray for my mother Chelsea, Grandpa Bill, and Grandma Hillary, that because of me they will no longer support, promote, and advocate for the killing of innocent babies. Please ask God to open their hearts to see that just like me, ALL life is precious!

REENVILLE, S.C., April 17, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ – Amidst a crowded field of challengers, The State newspaper reported that Richard Cash leads all challengers to incumbent Lindsey Graham in cash on hand. As of March 31, 2014, Cash reported $464,056 on hand, followed by Det Bowers ($384,248), Bill Connor ($314,529), Nancy Mace ($223,000), Lee Bright ($78,557), and Benjamin Dunn ($10,000). Cash also led all challengers in the report at the end of 2013.

In addition to cash on hand, Cash has also demonstrated strong grassroots support. Cash said, “I have the most signs up around the state and as far as I know I am the only candidate to report holding large grassroots type events.” Cash had over 500 in attendance at a BBQ in Anderson in November, 300 at a BBQ in N. Augusta in early February, 140 in Greenwood in late February, and 700-800 on hand in Greenville on March 31.

Although Lindsey Graham has an enormous financial advantage, Cash says that there is a path to victory. “I have been telling people for months,” said Cash, “that if Lindsey Graham is held in the low 40s in the primary vote, he is vulnerable to being defeated in a run-off. The latest poll shows that Graham’s approval rating is only 40%, while his disapproval rating is 44%.” If Graham is held in the low 40s on the first vote, Cash believes that money will come in from around the country to fund a competitive run-off.

Cash plans to continue his grassroots and fundraising efforts and believes he is well positioned among the challengers for the stretch run. According to Cash, “I don’t mind the competition; I’ve run in a large field before. I believe multiple candidates make it more likely that Graham will be forced into a run-off and I won a six way Congressional primary in 2010 before losing a close run-off.” The SC Republican primary is June 10th.

Sharron Angle made the comments during her radio show on April 3. She is a co-host of the radio show “Conservative Commandos” which broadcasts on WNJC 1360 AM in Philadelphia and is streamed live over the internet.

In February, Senator Reid accused Republicans of spreading LIES about ObamaCare horror stories. This week Reid denied ever saying that. Both are on camera, spoken from the well of the Senate. Both audio clips were played on the Conservative Commandos Radio Show, prompting Sharron Angle’s comments and concerns. Noting that Democrat US Senate Majority Leader has made many other odd comments, Sharron Angle wondered if Harry Reid’s mental abilities to continue serving in the U.S. Senate should be explored. Reid’s two dramatically contradictory TV clips back to back suggest the possibility of senility.

Sharron Angle was the U.S. Senate Republican nominee in Nevada against U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010.

Sharron Angle’s Political Action Committee — OurVoicePAC — is working for legislation in Nevada to close down the State’s health care exchange under the Affordable Care Act.

RALEIGH, N.C., April 8, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Faith Driven Consumer™ — the group behind the recent IStandWithPhil.com movement which played a leading role in Phil Robertson’s return to Duck Dynasty and the ongoing Year of The Bible Movie campaign, which is tracking the commercial viability of major Hollywood films courting faith audiences this year, continues to advocate for tolerance and respect for the views held by 46 million Faith Driven Consumers who spend $1.75 trillion annually. Following the firestorm at Mozilla over its recently dismissed CEO, Faith Driven Consumer has launched its #OpenZilla campaign in an effort to encourage a company famous for open source solutions and inclusiveness to extend openness, tolerance, and respect to those who hold a biblically-based view of marriage.

“While the firestorm surrounding Mozilla’s recent actions has focused largely on the company’s former CEO, we remain deeply concerned about faith-driven employees at the company as well as those who may apply to work there. In the short-term, we are concerned about the rights of employees to continue to hold to their personal biblical views on marriage without being discriminated against or bullied. In the long-term, we are troubled by LGBT advocates who are calling for a ‘glass ceiling’ for faith-driven employees, suggesting that companies may hire such people but should not allow these employees to assume leadership roles if they hold a biblical view of marriage,” said Chris Stone, a Certified Brand Strategist and Founder of Faith Driven Consumer.

“In order to directly raise these concerns, Faith Driven Consumer contacted Mozilla yesterday to ask for clarification regarding corporate diversity policy. We also launched the #OpenZilla campaign to spark a broader dialogue about the need for tolerance, true inclusiveness, and respect for diversity in the workplace. We are asking Mozilla to address our questions, and have asked the Faith Driven Consumer community to engage with the company as well.

“Last week’s troubling events raise serious questions about the commitment by many members of the LGBT community to practice what they preach. As LGBT activists ask us to tolerate and respect their viewpoints on one hand, many are advocating — on the other hand — for intolerance, discrimination, and bullying toward people of faith, people who an essential part of America’s rich rainbow of diversity.”

KATY, Texas, April 9, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Is the United States still one nation under God?

This is the vital question asked by Richard Capriola in his book, “A Nation Under Judgment.”

Using his signature style Capriola outlines our nation’s social polices and contrasts them with what he believes is God’s point of view from Scripture. Reviewing polices such a hunger, poverty, homelessness, the environment and marriage, Capriola challenges readers to examine these polices and compare them to God’s perspective.

“What does it mean to be one nation under God?” Capriola asks his readers. “Do the words have value only in time of national crises?” He explains, “Our Founding Fathers believed the words were more than a political slogan. Have we strayed from their vision?”

Capriola explains the purpose of his book: “I want it to be a thought provoking journey that empowers readers to decide for themselves if our nation is moving away from God’s point of view when crafting social polices.” He outlines the history of nations that have strayed from God’s point of view and faced judgment and asks readers to consider if our nation is heading in the same direction.

Early reviews for the book have been impressive. For example, Heather Randall, CEO of Christian Women Affiliate said its “Well researched and Scripturally based.” She added: “A Nation Under Judgment seeks to be a catalyst for inspiring believers toward deeper biblical thought regarding social policy.”

Dolores Liesner, a reviewer for Christian Women Affiliate wrote, “Every legislator, and every believer, apologetic, preacher and evangelist needs this resource on their shelves.”

A Nation Under Judgment is published by Mill City Press and is available on Amazon. The book’s website contains a book trailer:www.anationunderjudgment.com

PHOENIX, March 18, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — Unless immediate action is taken, the U.S. State Department will return invaluable Jewish artifacts to the government of Iraq instead of their rightful owners. Jewish Voice Ministries International is mobilizing the Christian community with a petition drive of one million signatures to prevent the dispersed Iraqi Jewish community from losing their history and personal possessions to the government that persecuted them.

President and CEO Jonathan Bernis articulates the injustice, “We didn’t return the belongings of the Jewish people who suffered in the Holocaust to the German government. Why would we stand by and allow this terrible injustice to take place?”

Background: The Jewish community in Iraq existed for 2,600 year before 1930’s Nazi propaganda ushered in persecution including seizure of property, pogroms, and public hangings. Many Jews fled the country, leaving behind personal possessions. After the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein, U.S. troops discovered thousands of Jewish artifacts in the flooded basement of Iraq’s intelligence headquarters. Invaluable artifacts included a 16th-century Hebrew Bible, a 1902 hand-lettered Haggadah guidebook, and Torah fragments, stolen by Hussein’s secret police from Jewish synagogues and schools. The U.S. signed an agreement with Iraq’s provisional government, allowing them to salvage the archive and spend two million dollars to restore it. The State Department agreed to return the fully restored archive to the Iraqi government in the summer of 2014, although five Jewish people reside in Iraq, and despite the fact that Iraq refuses to recognize Israel’s statehood.

Action is critical – Jewish Voice Ministries urges the U.S. Christian community to stand against further injustice for this persecuted Jewish community. The digital petition to Secretary of State John Kerry can be signed at www.rescuejewishproperty.org, for delivery to the State Department on May 30, 2014.

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — The Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition comprised of 24 groups led by the Family Research Council and including legal groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom, Liberty Counsel, The Liberty Institute, and Thomas More Law Center, has announced that they stand ready to offer assistance to any Air Force Academy cadet who faces repercussions for writing a Bible verse on a hallway whiteboard that has been designated by the Academy for both official and personal use.

Earlier this week, a Bible verse (Galatians 2:20) was removed at the Air Force Academy after a complaint by an anti-Christian group. Yesterday, reports surfaced that cadets are protesting the censorship by writing Bible verses on other campus whiteboards. Last year, the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition launched a website, www.militaryfreedom.org, to support the religious liberties of America’s men and women in uniform.

Several members of the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition released the following statements in support of the cadets and religious liberty:

“This reflects that the cadets understand the Constitution and have a greater faith in the Constitution than their leaders. They are freely exercising their constitutional rights that they will be defending upon graduation,” concluded Boykin.

“This is a blatant violation of Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1300.17 and the Constitution, “Berry observed. “But the Air Force seems to think that AFI 1-1’s neutrality towards religion requirement means forbidding religious freedom. If that’s true, then I suggest the Air Force officials read DODI 1300.17, which supersedes AFI 1-1 and guarantees religious freedom for all service members,” concluded Berry.

“Suppressing religion is wrong whether it is done behind an Iron Curtain or in a dorm hallway. Certainly such raw anti-religious discrimination has no place in America’s Air Force.”

Mathew Staver, Chairman, Liberty Counsel:

“This latest incident at the United States Air Force Academy reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of religious freedom. Not only is the notion that cadets have to abandon or hide their faith as a requisite of military service not supported by law, it is actually discriminatory to brave men and women of faith that desire to serve their country,” concluded Staver.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel,Thomas More Law Center:

“From the Revolutionary War to the present day, military leaders have understood that in times of danger and death, no physical courage can sustain the soldier other than Divine help. This understanding prompted Article 6 of the military Code of Conduct, which emphasizes a soldier’s personal responsibilities for his actions and trust in God. Thus, the actions of the Air Force to restrict this cadet’s free speech and the free exercise of religion because it offends some, is not only unconstitutional, but conflicts with the military’s own understanding of the importance of religion to our military men and women placed in harm’s way,” concluded Thompson.

To read “A Clear and Present Danger,” Family Research Council’s comprehensive report on religious suppression in the military, click here: www.frc.org/clearpresentdanger

Click here for a list of the 24 groups that comprise the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition.

INMAN, S.C., March 14, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ — The following is submitted by Det Bowers:

This past Wednesday evening I was asked to attend the pledge signing with four other candidates seeking the US Senate seat for South Carolina. The pledge states: “We, the undersigned genuine conservative Republicans, agree to endorse whichever one of our fellow signers advances to the run-off election against incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham following the South Carolina Republican primary election for the U.S. Senate on the 10th of June 2014.”

I declined to participate in that pledge and refused to attend the gathering for two reasons:

I am running to become your next United States Senator — and to sign a pledge of surrender before the campaign process has culminated would be admitting defeat before the battle has even begun; and

At this point, the candidates have not engaged in a single debate on the complex issues facing this nation. I believe in the necessity for a smaller federal government, reduced regulatory burden on small business, free enterprise and strong immigration reform.

Furthermore, I reject the statement made yesterday by one of the candidates about Senator Graham. That comment exemplifies part of the problem with Washington today. Debasing a man’s name and character is not our path forward to prosperity and will only leave us wallowing in the political malaise.

I pledge to you today that our campaign has always been and will always be built on trust, integrity and optimism for the future of America.